“Mr. Speaker, some of the most pressing legislative items were nowhere to be found on the Floor this week. We had an opportunity to make headway on critical legislation. Unfortunately, the leadership provided no action. Not solutions, not action, only obstruction and delay.

Just as we’ve been saying since the GOP released their Summer Agenda, today’s New York Times Editorial takes House Republicans to task for their misplaced priorities, taking up political bills instead of focusing on restoring our economy and creating jobs.

Some highlights:

“Yet the House … won’t move the stalled transportation bill, holding up billions of dollars — and millions of jobs — on road and transit projects, apparently out of fear it might help the economy and thus the political fortunes of Democrats.”

From Washington D.C. to Washington State, the public outcry over the GOP’s stall tactics on the highway bill continues to grow. Despite the fact that 28,000 construction jobs were lost last month, House Republicans continue to threaten to walk away from negotiations unless they get absolutely everything they want.

It is a rare day when we here in the Democratic Whip Press shop implore Republicans to heed the advice of conservative Senator James Inhofe. But as the impasse over the highway bill drags on, stranger things have happened. To recap how we got here: The Senate passed a bipartisan bill with an overwhelming 74 votes, while House Republicans floundered for months, unable to pass anything beyond a short term extension that needed significant Democratic support to pass.